


The World in Color

by porcelainepeony



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: AiballWeek2020, Ficlets, M/M, aiballshipping, aiyusa, ficlet collections
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22652845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainepeony/pseuds/porcelainepeony
Summary: Ficlets for Aiballweek2020!I missed the first two days though T~TThemes below will be updated each day to reflect chosen theme.Chapter 1, February 10th: HorrorChapter 2, February 11th: RebornChapter 3, February 12th: HugsChapter 4, February 13th: MasqueradeChapter 5, February 14th: V-Ai-lentine's Day
Relationships: Ai | Ignis/Fujiki Yuusaku
Comments: 36
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** ~190  
 **Theme:** ~~Amusement~~ // **Horror  
** **Notes:** Here’s something quick for Day 3 of Aiball week! I honestly meant to do each day, but I never plan ahead of time oops. 

xxx

The scream that tore from Ai’s throat was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire building. It was raw in its emotions. Uninhibited and honest and downright shattering in its intensity. 

Yusaku nudged Ai’s chest, trying to peek past Ai’s arm to watch the rest of the movie. They had already lost their bucket of popcorn—no thanks to Ai’s flailing—but Yusaku refused to miss the ending of the horror movie because Ai was scared. 

“You’re in my way,” Yusaku tried, sighing when Ai wilted against him and whined pathetically at the murder taking place on screen.

Ai shook his head firmly. “Make it stop! Make the zombies stop!” 

Yusaku felt his eyebrow twitch. “It’s just a movie.”

“They’re creepy!”

“A movie you picked.”

“It’s still creepy!”

Yusaku slumped into his pillow in defeat. Refusing to watch romantic comedies with Ai sounded like a good idea at the time, but opting for a zombie apocalypse wasn’t the smartest choice. “Look, it’s stopped now,” Yusaku half-lied, anticipating more carnage.

Ai peeked at the screen. Yelped. Plastered his face against Yusaku’s chest.

The chainsaw massacre movie was probably off the table.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** ~1450  
 **Theme:** ~~AU //~~ **Reborn** **  
Notes:** Just a really quick sort of take on reincarnation. I am trying to keep these submissions short because I write them the day of and, if I get busy, I might not finish, but I actually think I could have expanded this and made it a really long and angsty fic XD; Not that I want more angst for these two;;

Anyway, a bit of canon-divergence here (as in let's pretend Ai stays with Yusaku and no war happens, okay?) 

xxx

It took Ai a whole three seconds to recognize the sleepy youth standing at the back of the line in the coffee shop where he worked, but when he made the connection, Ai couldn’t tear his gaze away. 

Yusaku’s hair was different than how it used to be, longer in the back, blond streaks running through deep hues of purple. He looked a bit taller, his skin not quite as pale, his brows thicker, a tad wilder. His nose was long, jawline slightly more square, slender body blessed with a dash more definition. His eyes, however, remained the same vivid green Ai remembered from centuries ago. It was a green that existed only in nature, only in lavish fields and ethereal forests and mossy gardens, yet it permeated Yusaku’s soul, bled into his irises, and stood out against the darkness of his lashes and the ivory of his skin.

“You’re new here, aren’t ya?” Ai asked the customer with familiar eyes, fighting the nostalgic reveries threatening to bring tears to his eyes. AI finally coexisted peacefully with humans, and in the last two hundred years, androids had been modified to the point of resembling a human almost down to a cell. The only difference, SOL lackeys maintained, was that AI had no souls. Could never possess souls. Were a fundamentally inferior species that would never truly be alive.

Ai laughed when those obnoxious SOL ads interfered with his nights spent searching YouTube for songs that reminded him of Yusaku. If AI didn’t have souls, then Ai wondered how he recognized Yusaku’s the moment it walked through the doors of the café. Ai had been waiting for Yusaku, waiting for the day Yusaku’s soul would return to find his, waiting for the day Yusaku would call his name once more. If AI didn’t have souls, then Ai had wasted the last two centuries of his so-called life waiting for a fantasy.

The customer with green eyes dipped an eyebrow in slight confusion, but he paid Ai no mind and ordered himself a coffee. “One tall dark roast with a shot of espresso.”

“You really haven’t change,” Ai hummed, ringing the stranger’s order.

“Haven’t changed?”

Ai felt a speckle of warmth flutter across his cheeks. “No, uh, sorry. Just mumbling to myself.”

The stranger met his gaze to Ai’s, green awash with curiosity, eye scrutinizing every one of Ai’s movements, every word Ai had spoken, every blink Ai took. “Mm,” he hummed, then walked past the register toward the waiting area, not once sparing a glance back at Ai.

But Ai kept his gaze on the stranger, noticed when he slipped on his headphones, watched when he grabbed his coffee and found himself a secluded spot in the café to work on what Ai assumed was homework. He didn’t look like Yusaku, but the pieces of Yusaku’s soul were there, in the way he carried himself, in the way he cupped his chin in thought, in the way he effortlessly brought a smile to Ai’s lips. 

Yusaku’s soul comes back to the café the next day. And the next. And the next. He’s always alone. Always carries his schoolbag over one shoulder, a small tablet in his right hand, big headphones around the back of his neck. He’s always dressed familiar, in casual jeans, a dark hoodie, old sneakers.

Ai watches the stranger each day. Studies the furrow of his brows, the meticulous tapping of his fingers on the keys, the way he sometimes rests his head on the table and naps between shots of espresso and dark roast coffee. He’s the same, Ai muses, the same aloof soul who lives off coffee and spends too much time surfing the web. The same quiet soul who rarely utters a word, who seems to have no friends, who lives in a vacuum consumed by numbers and codes. The same beautiful soul who taught Ai the meaning of love, who once, in lifetimes past, fell in love with an AI and went through hell and back to make sure that idiot AI knew it.

“It’s not nice to stare,” the stranger says one night after he’s packed his tablet and books.

For a moment, Ai is speechless. There is no one else in the café. Ai is supposed to lock up for the night, but the stranger idled well past closing hours, likely waiting for the rest of the customers to grow weary and leave. Now, only corny music on the speakers plays and, standing across the counter, expression blank, only Yusaku remains. Only the fragments of Yusaku’s soul wrapped in a new life, a new identity, a new individual linger. There. In front of Ai. Staring up at him. Green gaze melting into vivid gold. Accusing Ai of staring, which Ai is very much guilty of, but he doesn’t think he made it so obvious.

“You’re the one staring,” Ai retorts, grinning as casually as possible. He doesn’t have a real heart, but the mechanical one beats wildly within his chest, pounding like war drums.

The stranger’s gaze softens, hues of green sparkling beneath the lights overhead. “You’ve been watching me this entire time,” is all he replies as he searches Ai’s gaze, as he seemingly gets lost in the endless void of starlight yellow.

Ai swallows his thoughts. Calms a shudder.

Yusaku does not utter another word. Instead, he turns and starts heading for the door.

Panic floods through Ai. Immediately, he hops over the counter, frantically reaching out and grabbing the stranger’s wrist. Their touch sends a current up Ai’s arm. He thinks the stranger feels it too, for he turns suddenly, surprise flickering in green eyes, and Ai wonders if Yusaku’s soul knows it’s his partner who’s reached out, who’s silently shouting his name, who’s desperately begging him to stay. By his side. The way they were always meant to be.

“You’re right,” Ai confesses, but the more he stares at Yusaku—at the boy with Yusaku’s eyes who is most definitely not really Yusaku—the less Ai wants to say. It’s been two hundred years since he last heard Yusaku’s voice. Last saw his smile, his scowl. Last felt warmth upon his skin. Two hundred years of waiting. Of replaying old videos of Playmaker, of cherishing the selfies that remained on Yusaku’s old phone, of repeating conversations safely logged in Ai’s memory over and again. Two hundred years of loneliness etched with anguish, carved with despair, of tears and tears and _so many tears_ , Ai swore he could fill the oceans till the end of time.

Suddenly, Ai isn’t sure he wants to go through the pain of getting to know Yusaku all over again. Of falling in love. Of losing him. Of waiting endlessly for Yusaku’s soul to come back to him, if it would come back a third, a forth, a fifth time.

Ai bites his bottom lip. He wants to laugh and cry and curse human mortality, but all he manages is a softly spoken, “You look familiar,” before releasing the stranger’s wrist.

The stranger pulls his arm toward his body and carefully studies Ai, gaze caressing the contours of Ai’s face, the unruly waves of his hair, the sadness in the depths of glimmering gold. “You look familiar too,” he finally says, pausing to bring one hand up to his chin, eyes squinting for a brief second before he finishes, “Ai.”

In the silence, Ai’s pseudo-heartbeat sounds more like the chimes of church bells than the sound of a small mechanical organ beating. “Wait, how did you know my name?” He blurts, confusion kissing his eyebrows. Was it possible? Did Yusaku remember him? Did he actually remember who Ai was?

That wasn’t how reincarnation worked… right?

“It’s on your name badge,” Yusaku replies, pointing at the small badge pinned to Ai’s apron.

Ai blushes in embarrassment, but he laughs, smile the biggest it’s been in centuries. “Oh yeah, that thing.” Ai thinks he sees a small smile cross the stranger’s lips, but he doesn’t stare for too long, for it’s the stranger’s eyes that lures Ai’s gaze, ensnares it, captivate it the way sunlight hypnotizes morning glories.

“So what’s your name, hm?” The question finally leaves Ai’s lips, golden irises lost in a sea of emerald.

“Yusaku,” the stranger says softly, stirring within Ai a tender, loving buzz that wraps him in warmth. In familiarity. In love. 

Ai smiles. “Yusaku,” he repeats, the name rolling off his tongue. It’s only been two centuries, but now he knows he can wait millennia for Yusaku’s soul. After all, they were linked. Bound by something stronger than threads and chains. Destined to meet over and again the way soulmates always do.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rating:** G (for general but also for GLOOMY WTF IS THAT LAST ONE)  
 **Word Count:** ~900 total for the three ficlets  
 **Theme: Hugs** // ~~Cyberse~~ **  
Notes:** Three hugs (in Ai’s various forms!) And uh, as stated above, the last one is a bit angsty... 

xxx

“Psst, Yusaku!”

“Be quiet."

“But you’re whining in your sleep!”

“I’m fine.”

“Were you having another nightmare? Want me to kiss it all better?”

"You don't have lips."

"Use your imagination~!"

Yusaku flung his pillow at his duel disk, but he missed hitting Ai, for the ignis had already escaped the confines of his prison and was settled comfortably atop Yusaku’s stomach. 

“I was only trying to help!”

“I told you, I’m fine.” It was a lie of course. Yusaku barely slept, and when he did, he would often awaken with a jolt or a gasp. It didn’t take Ai more than two nights to notice Yusaku avoided sleep to escape the nightmares that came with it, but for the last few weeks, Yusaku had to deal with a nosy ignis who wouldn’t stop running his mouth. 

“You’re smart, but you’re a shit liar.”

“Be quiet.” Yusaku pulled the blanket over his shoulders and turned onto his side, not at all considerate of Ai’s wellbeing. If the ignis wanted to keep him up, he would have to find his way out of the blankets first. 

Ai moved beneath the sheets, mumbling something about _rude_ and _meanie_ in the midst of his scrambling. After another minute, he poked his head out from under the blankets, yellow eyes narrowed in frustration, small arms reaching out.

Yusaku watched curiously as Ai moved closer, blinking in confusion when Ai pressed his cheek against his collarbone and tried his hardest to wrap his arms around his neck. It wasn’t quite a hug. Ai’s arms were too short for them to completely wrap around Yusaku. But it was close, enough to soothe Yusaku’s chaotic thoughts and calm his heartbeat.

“Linkuriboh likes to nap like this~!” Ai revealed, sighing happily against the base of Yusaku’s neck.

Yusaku could see why, but the only words he uttered as he closed his eyes were, “I told you to be quiet.”

xxx

Ai makes the first move when he transforms, growing tendrils for arms, a long neck, an unsightly head with a single eye. It feels awkward, the way Ai’s limbs wrap around Yusaku’s waist and torso, fastening Yusaku’s arms against his sides. But Yusaku has no idea what a real hug is like. He assumes an adult had hugged him once or twice when he was a child, but he has no memories of being hugged, has no memories of feeling cloaked in warmth and security.

Ai’s form is a curiosity, but it’s the care with which he reaches down and grabs Yusaku that prods Yusaku’s interest. Ai is tender in an odd sort of way. He squeezes Yusaku gently, chuckles at how squishy humans are, wiggles two of his tentacles under Yusaku’s shirt to softly rub his back. 

Yusaku knows humans are warm. Figures a hug would feel like bathing in sunlight. Instead, winter kisses his back, the tips of the tendrils cool, refreshing. 

A sigh leaves Yusaku’s lips. Pulling his arms from the tangle of limbs, Yusaku attempts to wrap them around Ai. The embrace is clumsy, a mess of arms seeking sanctuary against skin, but Yusaku thinks he can get used to it. 

xxx

Ai remembers with great clarity—the first thing he wanted to do after he designed his SOLtiS was hug Yusaku. Take Yusaku into his arms. Squeeze him tightly. Bask in Yusaku’s presence. In his warmth. In his life. The life they’d share. The life that brought so much meaning to Ai’s world. The life Ai would do anything to protect.

Lightning robbed Ai of fulfillment, of ever truly coming within inches of Yusaku’s arms. The simulations were accurately poignant, down to the excitement Ai felt upon reuniting with Yusaku, down to the shattering heartbreak and endless screams and tears that followed each fleeting moment of joy. Every time Ai ran a new simulation, Ai would see a glimmer of happiness in Yusaku’s eyes, the fluidity with which their bodies would melt against each other’s, the terror reflected in his own face when he realized how selfish his desires to live by Yusaku’s side were.

“Ai,” a voice called, distant yet familiar. Reassuring in its tone. Relaxing in its timbre. Ai’s memories were scattered after his duel with Yusaku, but he was alive. Ai knew as much because slowly, painfully so, fragments of code would flicker within his entity, would paint pretty pictures with vivid green accents, would remind Ai there was someone missing.

Or was it Ai that was missing? 

“Ai, wake up.”

When Ai opened his eyes, Yusaku was the first image Ai’s thoughts processed. It was hard to find his voice, but when Ai parted his lips, the name flowed like a waterfall.

“Yusaku.”

Whether a simulation or reality, Ai did not know. All he knew was that Yusaku was in front of him, tears clinging to lashes, arms swinging open.

They crashed hard. Ai wrapped his arms around Yusaku, smothered his face in Yusaku’s hair, choked back a sob. Yusaku dug his fingers into Ai’s back and cried into his chest, mumbling undecipherable words into Ai’s clothes.

Ai never wanted to let go. Not when he finally had Yusaku—real and warm and breathing and alive—in his arms. But he knew their happiness would fade. He knew there would soon come a day when all that was left in his arms was the lifeless body of the boy he loved. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** ~820  
 **Theme:** ~~Personality switch~~ // **Masquerade** **  
Notes:** Honestly, I just wanted to write Ai in some over-the-top outfit and have them dance. :`D I was at a masquerade ball last weekend, SO THIS THEME JUST WORKS VERY NICELY. Also, please forgive me if this sounds rushed. I LITERALLY SPED-WROTE THIS AND I HAVE NO TIME TO EDIT T~T

xxx

It wasn’t Yusaku’s idea to attend the first ever masquerade ball LINK VRAINS was hosting. He didn’t like socializing. Didn’t care for parties, dances, or costumes. He didn’t even find joy in the promise of meeting new duelists. Ai, however, was beyond excited when the announcement was made, so much so that he didn’t stop talking about it for an entire three hours. 

Three hours in which Yusaku attempted to finish homework to no avail. 

“Pleeeeeease, can we go?”

“No.”

“But the costumes!”

“No.”

“And the dancing!”

“Absolutely not.”

Yusaku caved after Ai’s whining turned to pouting turned to flailing his arms and legs. Somewhere between the fake sobs and beaming smiles, Ai concocted a stellar plan, one that would supposedly impress Yusaku and make the masquerade more interesting.

“Let’s keep our costumes a surprise, okay?”

“Why?”

Ai grinned, “It’ll be fun!”

“Whatever.”

It was a terrible idea in execution. At least for Yusaku, who spent way too many hours overthinking his outfit. He wasn’t even sure why his costume was so important, but he grew consumed by the colors and design, by the way everything sat on his body, by how much of his face peeked from behind the mask. In the end, he settled for a plain, tightly-fitted suit, deep green in color, and a simple black shirt with gold vertical stripes. His mask was black as well, elaborately decorated with deep green, gold, and purple feathers on the right side, and rimmed with sparkling gold sequins. Yusaku never would have worn something so loud and tacky, but he thought Playmaker might get away with the design.

Since its grand re-opening, LINK VRAINS had grown in popularity, offering monthly events for duelists looking to network and socialize. The events also served as a way for duelists to relax and have fun. For Playmaker, keeping a low profile in one of the more secluded areas where the dancing was set to take place was more important than either of those things. Though he wasn’t the only confused-looking duelist, Playmaker was definitely out of his comfort zone and already planning to tell Ai they were never going to do something like this again.

Someone beside Playmaker cleared his throat, a familiar voice suddenly filling the noisy, melody-strung air.

“Care to dance?” Ai asked, one hand extended gracefully toward Playmaker, the other resting against his lower back as he bowed slightly.

Playmaker felt his cheeks light up, though he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps the warmth upon Playmaker’s face was a result of Ai’s mesmerizing costume, a deep violet brocade suit with gold accents at the ends of his sleeves and a long deep red cape that made Ai look the part of royalty rather than someone who lived in a dingy flat. Or maybe the blush was a result of how mysteriously beautiful Ai looked, adorned with a purple and gold mask that hid most of his face, save for his glossy lips, and fuchsia and mulberry feathers that kissed a line from his left temple down along his jaw. Whatever the reason, Playmaker was grateful for his mask and placed a hand in Ai’s, allowing himself a moment of the whimsy painted in fairy tales, allowing Ai to pull him close and lead his body in a waltz. 

“Your costume’s lame,” Ai observed mid-dance, his grin betraying his real emotions. 

“Yours is too loud,” Playmaker retorted, gripping Ai’s upper arm delicately. 

Ai laughed, the hand against Playmaker’s back pressing Playmaker closer. Though Playmaker had never danced, Ai was a fairly decent partner. He even ignored Playmaker’s flubs and near trips, choosing to lock his gaze to Playmaker’s for the entirety of the song rather than comment on how clumsy his partner was.

But Playmaker’s awkwardness was entirely Ai’s fault. From the moment he laid eyes on Ai, Playmaker felt dizzy. His cheeks were warm, unbearably so. He had been spun one too many times. And Ai’s gaze seemed to sparkle beneath the beaming lights, seemed to sing secret love songs only Yusaku’s heart could hear.

When the music faded, Playmaker felt his legs give in and sank against Ai. 

“Are you okay?” Ai asked, concern lacing fine brows. 

Playmaker wanted to kick himself for swooning, but there was no denying Ai’s charm, the way his smile made Playmaker's heart race. Peering up, Playmaker nodded before reaching to grab Ai’s mask, pulling it away slowly, as if afraid of breaking its delicacy.

Ai smiled, his own cheeks dusted pink, thoughts entirely synced to Yusaku’s. Leaning down, Ai removed Playmaker’s mask and placed a gentle kiss against Playmaker’s lips, lingering for only a few seconds.

“Ai,” Playmaker breathed against Ai’s lips. 

Ai hummed in reply, rubbing his nose against Playmaker's. 

“This was fun.”

A low laugh fluttered against Playmaker's lips. “ _Ai_ told you! We can do it again next year!”

Playmaker smiled and nodded before pulling Ai in for another kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rating:** G  
 **Word Count:** ~550  
 **Theme: V-Ai-lentine's Day** // ~~Purple  
~~ **Notes:** Happy Valentine’s Day~!

xxx

As sincere and adorable as Ai looked standing with his hands behind his back, smudges of chocolate smeared across one cheek and his apron, Yusaku knew better than to trust the strange little truffles Ai had made for him for Valentine’s Day. 

“They’re dark chocolate. You like dark chocolate, right?”

Yusaku eyed the so-called dark chocolate truffles. They were melted blobs, not quite round because Ai thought making them in the shape of his earrings was cuter, but not quite that shape either, considering they were terrifyingly too angular. 

“I don’t,” Yusaku lied. He did like dark chocolate. Preferred it to the sweeter stuff. But he didn’t want to put those things anywhere near his mouth. 

“You’re lying!” Ai exclaimed, theatrically placing his hand upon his chest, over his heart. “And I spent hours making these for you!”

“You shouldn’t have,” Yusaku sighed, eyeing the truffles once more. As nice as it would have been to have some chocolate on Valentine’s, Yusaku knew better.

_One, Ai destroys anything he touches in the kitchen. Two, I don’t want to throw up. Three, I don’t want to die._

“Are ya gonna try one, Yusaku-chan~?”

Yusaku swallowed the lump in his throat and stared at Ai, furrowing his brows in agitation. Yusaku knew better, but Ai wasn’t going to stop smiling stupidly at him if he didn’t try at least one.

Giving in, Yusaku took one of the softened truffles and brought it to his mouth. The bitterness was stronger than he was accustomed to. A strange coat of oil stuck to his tongue and the roof of his mouth. And the aftertaste was far too acidic to be pleasant. 

At least it melted quickly.

“Yu...Yusaku, you look pale,” Ai observed, tilting his head to one side. 

“It’s gross,” Yusaku mumbled, putting a hand over his mouth. 

Ai looked surprised and glanced at the truffles, “But I followed the recipe this time!”

Yusaku didn’t want to know what nausea-inducing meals Ai had taken liberties with in the past—there were too many bad memories to count—but Yusaku swore to himself he would never again eat anything Ai ma--

Something jabbed Yusaku in the arm. Yusaku half expected to see Ai offering him a glass of water. Instead, Ai was holding out a red heart-shaped box. Perfectly wrapped. Perfectly sealed. Perfectly store-bought.

“I have a backup this time,” Ai admitted, cheeks red, gaze glued to the floor.

Yusaku took the box, smiling faintly at the card glued at the top.

_Yusaku,_  
 _Happy Valentine’s Day!  
_ _Ai_ _♡_ _Yu_

Pink coated Yusaku’s cheeks. He had never received an actual gift on Valentine’s Day, let alone a love note. And while he expected Ai to go out of his way to celebrate the silly holiday, Yusaku hadn’t anticipated an edible gift. The homemade truffles, yes, but not something he could actually enjoy.

“I have something for you too,” Yusaku confessed, finally capturing Ai’s gaze.

“You do?!” The excitement in Ai’s golden irises reminded Yusaku of sunlight.

Reaching up, Yusaku cupped Ai’s cheek and tiptoed, softly pressing their lips together. 

Ai smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Yusaku’s waist. “So you forgive me?” He asked, pulling away to touch their foreheads together.

“Maybe.”

So long as Ai stayed out of the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm happy we had this event! ^o^


End file.
